Close encounters in the sky

Updated 3:25 PM ET, Tue April 14, 2015

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

UK Royal Air Force Typhoons, similar to this one seen in 2014, scrambled to intercept Russian bombers flying near British airspace, the British Defence Ministry said. It is one of the latest incidents in what NATO has said is an increase in Russian military flights near alliance members' territory.

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

An American RC-135U, similar to this one, was intercepted by a Russian fighter jet earlier this month while flying in international airspace north of Poland. The U.S. crew believed the Russian pilot's actions were "unsafe and unprofessional due to the aggressive maneuvers it performed in close proximity to their aircraft and its high rate of speed," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said.

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

British Royal Air Force jets intercepted this Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber in October.

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

An F-15 Eagle from the 19th Fighter Squadron takes off at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. F-15 fighters intercepted Russian bombers off California in June.

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

Fighter jets from the Netherlands intercepted two Russian bombers in Dutch airspace in April 2014.

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

A Russian Air Force flight demonstration team performs with their Su-27 jet fighters over St. Petersburg, Russia. An Su-27 "showed its belly" to a U.S. reconnaissance jet in April 2014.

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Photos:Close encounters in the sky

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, top, escorts a Russian Air Force Tu-95 bomber off the coast of Alaska in 2011.